US672828A

US672828A - Shell for high explosives.

Info

Publication number: US672828A
Application number: US71462399A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis Gathmann
Original assignee: GATHMANN TORPEDO GUN Co
Current assignee: GATHMANN TORPEDO GUN Co
Priority date: 1899-04-27
Filing date: 1899-04-27
Publication date: 1901-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1918-04-23

Description

He. $72,828. v mew-a m Apr. 23, mm. 1.. amwwmma. SHELL FOR HIGH EXPLMSWEQ (Application filed Apr. 27,1899.

(No Model.)

Patented Am. 23, mm.

. L. GATHMANN.

SHELL FOR HIGH EXPLUSIVES.

(Application filed Apr. 27, 1599.;

2 Sheets Sheet 2.

3i 3' fuse-stock a is screwed.

SHELL FOR HIGHJEXIPILLCSIVESQ To all whom, it m concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs GATHMANN, of hicago, in the county of Cook and State of aiiinois, have invented certain new and usei'ullrnprovements in Shells for High Exploantics, of which the following is a specification. V Th s invention relates-to shells for high e plosives, and has for itsobjectto provide means whereby the fuse or detonating charge in may be positively separated and isolated from the main or bursting charge of the shell prior to its discharge from the gun and may be positively moved from its separated'or isolated position -into close proximity to said 2;; bursting charge. after the discharge of theshell from the gun, v

To these ends my invention consists incertain novel features which I will now proceed.

, to'describe and will then particularly point out in the claims. 1

1nthe accompanyinlgidrawings, Figure l is. a longitudinal sectional view, partly broken away, of a shell embodying my invention in one form; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the forward portion or head of a shell embodying my invention in a modified form.

Referring first to the construction shown in .Fig; 1 of the drawings, lindicates the body ofthe shelhwhich, may be of anysuitable construction adapted for use in connection with high Kplosives. This shell contains a bursting charge 2, of wet guncotton or the like, and

is closed'at its base by means of a'base-plng 3, having a central opening, into which the The fuse as a whole is indicated by the reference-numeral 5 and comprises "a blocker shutter 6, of comparatively thick met-ah and a fuse-case 7', of thin metal, connected therewith and containing'a charge 8 of dry gun'cotton or the like: 'Within this fuse is located a tubular stock 9, in which v moves the detonator-plunger 10, carrying the charge of fnlminate l1 and its'cap 12 and heid in position by a suitable break-pin '13. 45 The fuse is provided at its rear end with an opening closed by a plug 14, and the fuse stock or chamber 4 is provided at its rear end with a similar or larger opening closed by a screw;plug.15, this latter opening being large enough to permit the passage of the detonator rand of the screw-plug 14, so thatthe charge ronrnno GUN'COMPANY, or SAME PLACE} S IYEGIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 672,828, dated April Application filed April 27} 1 899- Serial influenza. (No model.)

of fu'lmtnate may be insere into thevshell; after all the, other parts iarevassembledian immediately before thefpl-acirfg-o thesheillti in the gun. a 5 There is formed throng ,:the:stobk:4,'base;-:' plug 3, and charge 2 a fuseway 'ifig throughgz m; which the fuse may travel; azp'ontion olf said fuseway being formed byw-a tubular shell-l,7 secured to the base-plug 3 audeXtending inward therefrom along-the fuseway 16 for a portion-only 'of its distance" -t=i Atiitswforward end this-tubular shell l7'vis providedwithia cap or cover 18, having africti'on'al conne tion with the shell, so as t 'o normallyclose65 the forward end thereofg-but be free to slip-* from its position and more ropvratd aion with the fusewhen sufficient brought to bear upon it In order to impart to" Ire ruse forward movementafterthe dischargeofthe shell from the gun, the fuse is .providedwitha threaded portion, whichfinthe construction shown in; Fig.1 isin the f d'rhi fof"a' rod' l9ffl which extends forwardthroli'gh suitable aperture-in the cap 18 andtliro'ugh passage or Way 20, formed through ges; 8 rod extending to and thi'o gl end of the shell and bei'ii vided with a fan 0 "thereon." v The shell thus constr cted following manner: Before go the gun the detonat-inglchargehis separated E from'the main orbu'rsting charge, lying, as it 5 "does, atsome-distancetherefrom andon'tside of the body of the shell and b'eingad 'allyseparated or 'isolated -by'fthe b1 I .rier 6, which lies betweenIthddetnnatln' bursting charges, so thatflanyiprematu accidental explosion'of the detonating r prop ei will'not aifect the main tqrsnngfclfm I will not cause the explosion of this latter and of the shell. The parts are held firmlyin this position by reason of the rod 19, which by reason of its threaded engagement. with the forwardiend of theshellprevents any accidental bringing together of the fuse and bursting charge by a direct forward move ment of the former. After the discharge of the. shell from the gun, however, the fan wheel or propeller vmeets with resistance from the atmosphere during the flightof the shell and is caused thereby to rotate, thus imparting a rotary motion -to .the rod l9. Owing to the threaded engagement of this latter with a threaded portion of the shell, the rod 19 moves forward relatively to the body of the shell during such rotation, and in thus'moving forward carries forward with it the fuse and brings 'thislatter into immediate proximity to the bursting charge within the shelL- During this forward movement of the fuse it'com'estin contactwith the cap 18,

I in case this latter is employed, and carries' the sameforward with it,-so that there is nothing interposed between the detonating charge'andglgurstii'ig charge except the extremely thin wall of m'etal of the shell 7, so that an ie'fl'ective detonation may be readily produced. This detonation occursupon the:

contact oflthe shell with any resisting object: by the forward movement of the detonatingplunger'andtheconsequent explosion of its cap and fulmin'ate,-thereby exploding the det- Yonating charge and-effecting the explosion of the main or'bursting charge of the shell.

. The construction hereinbefore described is one-adapted for use in a shell in which the fuse is located at the base of the shell; but myinvention is equally applicable to the type of shell in which the fuse is located at the front 'end or headthereof; and in Fig. 2 of the drawings I have shown a construction embodying my invention in this form.

In this 1 constructions, threaded opening 26 is formed in the fro'ntend or point of the shell, and the body of the fuse, which is indicated at 27, is

threaded externally, as indicated at 28, to fit .within said threaded opening. This fuse has a fuse-chamber containing a charge of dry gun'e0tton'29, and the detonator. 30 is mountedina tube or stock .31, having thin lateral walls and extending into the charge 29, the detonator being held in position by a break-pin 32 and being provided with a'cap 33 on its front-end. The fuse is provided at its forward end with a wind-wheel or fan s, which in the present instanceis shown not as a propeller-wheel, as in the case of the construction shownin Fig. 1, but as a 'fanwheel, having its vanes at rightangles to the plane of itsbody, or, in other words, to its plane of rotation. The fuseway 35 extends rearward from the threaded opening 20' into the body. of the charge 2 and may be inclosed in a thin case 36, of metal, such as brass,- which is easily ruptured. The base of the Fuse is thickened to form a partition, separating the detonating charge from the bursting charge, of the shell, as indicatedat 37, and

thereisjprovided an aperture closed by}; screw-plug 38 and giving access to the detonato'r and its tube or stock. The shell thus constructed operates in the following mam" ner: The normal position of the parts'before firing is that shown in the drawings, in which the detonating charge is separated and isolated from the. bursting charge of the shell not'only by being located outward beyond the same, but also by the interposition between the two of the block or partition 37,

which is formed by the thickened base of the fuse. .Upon thedischarge of the shell from the gun, however, the vanes of the wheel 34 encounter the resistance of the air as the shell rotates on its axis, and the entire fuse is thus caused to rotate relatively to the shell and to be screwed back into the fusewayuntil it a ssumes a position within the body of" the shell and with the detonating charge in immediate juxtaposition to the bursting charge of the shell. When th shell strikes. 3 a resisting object, the detonato' is released bythe fracture of its break-pin, and, moving forward, explodes the detonating charge, and

consequently the bursting charge of the shell.

' I do not wish to be understood aslimit-ing my invent/Yon to the precise detailshereinbefore set forth. For instance, although I'have shown in Fig. 1 a particular form of fuse,

the resistance of the air, which serves to 9.0- i i tuate the threaded rotary portion of the fuse,

is obtained by reason of the forward motion of the shell or by reason of its rotary motion a'round'its axis, the essential feature being that the normally-isolated fuse shall-have a threaded portion engaging with a threaded portion of the shell to produce a longitudinal movement of the fuse relatively to the shell Again, although I have and a part, such as a wind-wheel, exposed to the external atmosphere and adapted by the resistance thereof to impart a r.otary-mo-- tion to the threaded portion of the fuse, and

thereby cause longitudinal motion of the fuse proper. It is obviously immaterial whether the threaded portion be formed upon the body of the fuse itself or whether it be formed upon an extension or rod connected with the fuse, and thus becoming, so far as its operative effect is concerned, a portion of the fuse.

1. In a shell for high explosives, the combination, with a shell-body having a threaded portion, of a fuse provided with a correspondingly-thraaded portion to engage that of the shell and by its rotation relatively to the shell-body, move the fuse longitudinally, and.

int'oj uxtaposition to the burstingeharge, sub-.

stantially as described. 2. In a shell for high explosives, the combination, with a shell-body having a threaded portion, of a fuse provided with a portion correspondingly threaded to engage the threaded portion of the shelland adapted when rotated relatively to the shelhbody to move the fuse longitudinally, and a wind-wheel connected with said threaded portion and exposed to the resistance of the'external air, said wind-wheel being adapted by reason of such resistance to impart a rotary movement to the threaded portion of the fuse relatively to the shell-body, whereby the detonating charge is brought into juxtaposition to the bursting charge, substantially as described.

3. In a shell for high explosives, the combination,witl1 a shell-bod y containing a bursting charge and provided with a threaded aperture at its forward end, of afuse longitudinally movable relatively to the shell-body and provided with a threaded portion to engage the threaded aperture of the shell-body, and with an exposed wind-wheel adapted to be actuated by atmospheric resistance, said fuse having its deionating charge normally separated from the bursting charge of the vshell and being moved longitudinally by the rotation of its threaded part relatively to the shell-body to bring the detonating charge into p1 niimity to said bursting charge, wherep by the detonating charge is brought-into jux-' .taposition to: the bursting charge, substantially. as described. I

4:. In a shell for high; explosives, the com;

bination, with a shell-body provided with a threaded aperture at its forward end, a burstingcharge, and afu'seway extending through its base and into the bursting charge, of a fuse longitudinally movable insaid fuseway and provided with a forwardly cxtended portion threaded to fit the aperture of the shell-body, and a windwheel connected with said threaded portion and exposed to atmospheric resistance, whereby the detonating charge is brought into juxtaposition to'the bursting charge, substantially as described.

5. In a shell for high explosives,-thc combination, with a shell-body having an aperture in its forward end, a bursting charge, and a fuseway at its rear end, of a fuse longitudinally movable in said fuseway and provided with a forwardly-extending rod threaded-to fit the aperture in the shell-body and extending beyond the same, and a propeller-wheel secured onthe forward end of said rod'and adapted to be rotated relativelyto the shellhody by the atmospheric resistance due to the forward rnotion of the shell, whereby the detonating charge is brought into juxtaposition to the bursting charge, substantially as described.

LOUIS GATHMA'NN.

Witnesses: I

E1111. GATHMANN, WM. H. MCGRANN.